JT And The Clouds

The Citys Hot Yeah The Citys Hot

Touring with bands like The Be Good Tanyas and Jolie Holland has made JT & The Clouds come off like come rustic version of a Motown doo-wop group. At least that’s the way it is for the opening light and soulful “You Made of Lightning”, while “Jump Up Jump Up” has a breezier island Latin flavoring. However, there are some musical interludes like “Martial Art Not a Sport” and “The Slums of Navarone” which don’t quite go anywhere. The band is quite adept at changing gears and moods as they do so well on the hushed, barren “Cup of Codeine”, which sounds a bit like Mr. Presley. But it’s back to the party atmosphere with the groovy “Wildin’ Blues”. Other particular memorable tunes are the tango-tinged “Lover’s Prayer” and the plodding “Clouds Ain’t Heavy”, resembling a tamer Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or White Stripes. Even when the band opts for The Band-ish “Fine and Free” it is quite fine indeed.

The City’s Hot Yeah The City’s Hot

Originally from Cape Breton, MacNeil is currently writing for the Toronto Sun as well as other publications, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, NME.com, Country Standard Time, Skope Magazine, Chart Magazine, Glide, Ft. Myers Magazine and Celtic Heritage. A graduate of the University of King's College, MacNeil currently resides in Toronto. He has interviewed hundreds of acts ranging from Metallica and AC/DC to Daniel Lanois and Smokey Robinson. MacNeil (modestly referred to as King J to friends), a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan, has seen the Rolling Stones in a club setting, thereby knowing he will rest in peace at some point down the road. Oh, and he writes for PopMatters.com.